2018 AZOP Mormon Lake Grand Prix

AZOP Mormon Lake Race Report

The Mormon Lake Lodge hosted the 2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix sponsored by Blud Lubricants, Rowley White RV and Lonestar Racing right after the Fourth of July.

VIDEO | Official 2018 AZOP Mormon Lake Grand Prix

Here is an ‎excerpt from Jonathan Barrett‎’s AZOP Mormon Lake Race Report:

The Mormon Lake Lodge hosted the 2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix sponsored by Blud Lubricants, Rowley White RV and Lonestar Racing right after the Fourth of July. There was plenty of patriotism in the air as the racers prepared for one of the biggest races of the year. The weather was a cool and overcast, 75 degrees, in the best place in the state to be in July.

Pro UTV Class/1000cc Non-Turbo Class

The Pro UTVs brought the Polaris RS1 machines of Spencer May and Nick Hatcher, who showed the lightweight and versatile single-seaters almost can’t be rivaled, but the Polaris RZR of Matt Hancock trumped the RS1s and took the top spot of the podium. Hancock competes in WORCS racing and competed in AZOP while WORCS is in their off season. May and Hatcher took second and third respectively.

The AWC Racing Polaris RZR 1000 of James Moore had a great race and an overall lead up until midway, where he blew a belt and had to pull off track to replace. After losing two laps, Moore got it fixed and finished fifth out of eight. In the 1000cc Non-Turbo class, it would be the Blud Lubricants/Winieicki Motorsports Kody Winiecki taking the win a full 6 minutes and one lap ahead of second place STI Offroad YXZ1000 of Robert Olander and the YXZ1000 of Abe Martinez.

1000cc Turbo Class

The 1000cc Turbo class saw Kali Kinsman take her Can-Am 1000 Turbo to the top spot, followed by Josh Rich and Bruce Kennedy. The Blud Lubricants/Shock Therapy ST/Sinister Fabrications Can-Am Maverick X3 of Daniel Hurn ran a solid race, putting his Shock Therapy shocks to the test and taking fourth of 12. Shane Till also had a solid day, running his enormous American flag to a sixth-place finish on day one and a third-place finish on day two. He easily had the most patriotic car out there on the track. Top 10 finishes are Matthew Hancock, Spencer May, Nick Hatcher, Kali Kinsman, Tom Wilson, Kody Winiecki, Robert Olander, Clay Winiecki, Chase De Sousa Dias, and Abe Martinez.

The future of UTV racing came out swinging as TJ Siewers took the victory, with Lucas Johnson and Vincent Riccitelli finishing second and third. The Hisun Strike 250 had a good run on the lead before a sheared joint took him out of the race on Saturday.

The Mormon Lake Lodge-sponsored Rhiannon Brinkerhoff took a solid finish as well, representing the Lodge well. Jacob Vigueria took home the gold in the Trophy Kart class, a class not often represented in AZOP. On day two, Siewers took the gold again, but this time Ian Kowalski took his rightful spot in second when his Hisun Strike 250 performed as it should, with Lucas Johnson taking third.

UTV 570 Class

Last but not least, the UTV 570s raced hard and fast as Riley Hein took her spot on the top step with Grace Vinagro and Ellie Koester rounding out the podium. Behind the trio of girls were Zach Anderson, Damien Rockhill and Kasyn Matthews, followed by the fourth girl in class Rhiannon Brinkerhoff, and finishing with Landen De Sousa Dias. On day two, Vinagro would take the top spot, but as Landen’s brother Chase would step into the drivers seat he would come to take second place, with Ellie Koester taking third.

The 2018 Mormon Lake Grand Prix was one for the books, complete with a bit of rain, plenty of sun and lots of action on course. Huge thanks to the Mormon Lake Lodge for permitting AZOP to run this beautiful race in the nicest summer places in Arizona. Next race will return to Flagstaff to the Cinder Mountains for the Cinder Mountain Hare Scramble.

For the complete race coverage and photos, visit the AZOP Facebook page and website.